5 comments about What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.

1. While CEO of a national tree preservation firm with 500 teammates in 23 locations I gave this book to my senior leadership team as a key read. The book is filled with real hands-on advice. What hit home particularly for me were the common "bad habits" of CEO's/key leaders that can get in the way of developing your people. This is an excellent book to read as a leader and use as a tool with your leadership team. If you have a team that wants to grow, get this book because what got them here won't get them there.



2. If you do what you have always done , you will get what you have always gotten.
   Marshall's new book has shown us all a very effective work around. Read the book and watch how the direction you have been going can shift overnight.
   Scott H. Silverman. Author, "Tell Me No. I Dare You!"



3. Through this book, Marshall Goldsmith gives us each the opportunity to hold up a mirror to reveal insights into our own actions and reactions. This is a book we incorporate into a number of OD activities in our organization, certainly in coaching individuals, but also in working with teams. One business leader I work with recently read the book, and immediately turned around and purchased it for his entire leadership team, giving it to them as a gift at a recent planning session. Almost daily I am hearing stories of meaningful self-reflection, ranging from the hilarious to the poignant, all finding at least a bit of themselves on the pages. This example demonstrates what I think is the book's biggest strength, the clarity of Marshall's straight-forward and practical approach aimed at helping us all get better at what we do.



4. When I heard the title of this book I thought it surely is a must read. The title was the best part of the book. Concepts are decent but I read this while flying across the Atlantic and wound up just leaving it on the plane for somebody else. Nothing to write home about. Incredible title and the concept triggered a lot in me as a leader however....



5. A bad habbit kept me from productivity. This book not only helped identify what kept me stuck but empowered me to adopt new behaviors.
   Buy this book and change your future.
   
   Anne Browning Project Coach

5 comments about Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD).

1. This book is partly an academic-style introduction to brain research and partly a jauntily written practical "how-to" about getting the most from your brain. John Medina has a warm, upbeat persona, and skillfully incorporates stories from his experiences to illustrate points he makes in the book. From time to time he forgets to connect the dots for readers who are new to the material, and so doesn't always articulate the full point or parallel he is making. However, he gives a broad overview of brain research and makes a conscious effort to practice the rules he preaches. He repeats information, as research says he should, and uses lively, varied examples to engage the reader. To reinforce the book's lessons with visual and aural sensory input, the publisher provides a supplemental DVD. Medina summarizes his key points, and touches briefly on the real-world implications and applications of the findings he covers. getAbstract recommends this book to parents, educators, human-resources professionals, executives and all those who want to help themselves, their children or their employees reach their full intellectual potential.



2. This book has some excellent research and thought provoking information for anyone involved with learning. As a working professional in the field of Human Resource Development I will be incorporating some of Dr. Medina's research and vision into our corporate learning strategy.



3. This is a great book and DVD combo especially for educators, parents, and students. The research is written in light layman's terms with a fun, light style. All of the information is useful and can be put into practice immediately to help the reader learn, teach, and possibly prevent depression, dementia and other brain disorders.



4. I have read Dr. Braverman's books( Younger You and Younger You), and his material conflicts with this author's material. I do agree with using something like the system given in Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You! to go over information lots of times. Just take data and see what works best for you! This book will give you some ideas to try



5. This book has some very good and interesting info about how the brain works and how we think and react to different things. The only complaint I have is that the included DVD that came with the book did not have any audio, whether I played it on my PC or through my home DVD player. There wasn't a way for me to check with any type of tech support either. None the less the book is a joy to read.

5 comments about A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

1. I lived to see the coming of the space age and the flight to the moon. Because we found ourselves behind the Russians and sorely lacking in trained engineers we began to push college education and the "knowledge trades."
   
   We have flourished technically as a result. Computers and the internet magnified that and many of us scrambled to get into those leading edge industries because that's where the future lay!
   
   That time is all but past and a new age is ushering in. By that I certainly don't mean that the computer age is over - far from it. But we pay engineers from India and other Asian places, fifteen thousand dollars a year to do what Americans want many tens of thousands of dollars to do. The last time you called for computer tech support - did you talk to an American or to someone in Bombay, Inida?
   
   This is not a book about New Age philosophy or any of that sort of thing. The author will make three fantasic points and arguments (which I don't want to give away here), which show that we have reached the peak of that era, and he shows that these trades WILL NOT be the hot trades of the future.
   
   So if you're thinking about making sure that little Mary or Johnny has a career in the knowledge industries in their future, think again!
   
   The book will show you that being a lawyer, accountant, or software engineer are NOT the best trades for the future.
   
   There are not too many books that can actually change the outlook of your mind, but this is certainly one of them. It is very convincingly argued.
   
   The first part of the book tells you why the old paradigm will not serve us well for the future.
   
   The second part of the book tells you what skills you will need to develop and gives some ideas and exercise to facilitate their development.
   
   I heartily recommend this book.



2. Teachers, business owners, corporate bosses will ruminate about Dan Pink's book for years to come. As a high school English teacher, I was thrilled to find teaching ideas and useful websites to use in the classroom. Pink tells us to think in a whole new way--in a right-brain way. He explains how we have been functioning in a left-brain, high tech, information age and now it's time to find ways to be comfortable and productive with all that information. By emphasizing, design, play, meaning, empathy, story, symphony--Pink's so-called six senses--we can have professional and personal happiness and success. For instance, in Pink's chapter about design, he explains that design is a way of creating solutions and that each of us employs it each day. In order to enjoy home or work, give it something it didn't know it was lacking--a new color a rearrangement. I have done this in the classroom by creating a seascape and and soothing colors. Pink concludes that good design brings us pleasure. Reading Dan Pink's book will do the same.



3. This is not a critique on how this book was written; nor, on whether or not I agree with the theories and methods discussed - with an open mind, it all makes sense to me. What I will say is that Mr. Pink does a very good job at both going into exhaustive detail and summarizes topics into layman terms for everyone's benefit (overall good read and flow). I am 31 years and am concerned about oil prices, the housing crisis and the off-shoring of countless positions to cheaper labor overseas; Mr. Pink offers his richly researched thesis' on how we, as Western's, will maintain competitiveness in our evolving global economy and career landscape. In addition to the analysis the author provides, there are also many other resources cited to aid in your High-Touch journey. Open your mind, expand your thoughts and act.



4. A Book which should be read by everybody in Portugal . Mainly by the politicians.
   Daniel Pink makes evident that the Information Society is the past to the west. The dazzling growing of India (and China in a nearly future) in IT will absorb all the world necessities of IT development. The future, Daniel Pink says, is in the right side of the brain: the one who does not labors with mathematic but with creativity and sociability.
   I sincerely hope Portuguese Prime Minister to read this book!



5. I appreciate the easy-to-read style of the important information in this book. I liked the way that Pink made clear the way that he defines his senses and gave exercises to develop those senses. His argument, or, as he would like to say, his story was cogent and his textual evidence is not disputable.

5 comments about Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life.

1. This book was recommended to my from my Real Estate Office. Being in a business that see's change frequently this book really provides a birds eye view of the thought process in dealing with change. It does not tell you how to do things or specify in any fields but rather sparks the notes neccessary on how to relate this to your own life! I hope my wife reads this too!



2. A short easy listen giving great insight on what happens if you fight change. I for one had difficulty accepting changes that I didn't want, this book presented a new perspective and insight.



3. The book is a quick read and reread. A good reminder of how we MUST flow with change in our lives.



4. I am grateful to all the reviewers that tried to save money and anxiety and anger for other people or potential readers of this book, by advising against buying it. I find all such comments are very interesting and very inspiring, which are elements you would never find in this book. In particular, I am grateful to the review entitled Show Me the Cheese by Bruce Silveman. It is such a wonderful review which should be published by major newspapers like New York Times and Washington Post. And we can read here for free! This book is an attempt to trash our culture, to put everything valuable we inherited from the past in a dumpster and sell some real garbage as the latest invention of once in a life time. This book and many other books such as the Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Shack, and the book insults God which I don't want to mention here, are all part of effort to show that man can be better off by themselves without the divine guidance of Jesus. Everything in the Western society in the last two hundred years are part of the development of that ideology. Just wait, you will read things worse than this!



5. Forget the little red book by Mao, We have a new mind numbing, thought control written device out there pushed among the working class. As it has been stated before..it truly is sobering that an American of any socio-economic status, level of wealth or educational background would be INSPIRED by this corporate tripe. Here's a thought for the cheese heads out there, has it occurred to you to move the " cheese provider " out of the picture and therefore the total dependence maze?..make your own cheese on further discovery out from the maze that was made specifically to control you? OR...perish the thought...maybe have more choices in your actual consumption other than cheese?
   
   I understand that the book only addresses the need for accepting change but doesn't one's thoughts automatically leap to then who is the change maker?? Part of my offense to this little book is it's simplistic approach to life modifying decisions by OTHERS. Stepping back however, this book speaks volumes for the contempt corporate America has for redefining intelligent thought, decent & breaking linear either/or thinking, coupled with a current generation that turns out more votes for some lounge singer element on TV than in some civic elections in this nation. Unbelievable

2 comments about The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life.

1. This excellent game plan for the gridiron of life was 23 years in the making.
   
   Over that time period, coach Jim Tressel has utilized such a manual for his Youngstown State and Ohio State teams. And this book is the guide presented to players at the start of each season.
   
   The main source that inspired Tressel came from the home; his father, Lee, was a long-time head football coach and athletics director at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Lee was nationally-renowned in the coaching community for his work with young people. But Lee also had a "head coach" in reaching out to others.
   
   "She (Lee's wife, Eloise) typed the practice schedules for my dad's teams, because at a small school the athletic department didn't have money for a secretary. She sewed the players' names on the back of their jerseys at Baldwin-Wallace College for many years," writes Tressel, in a section on living with an attitude of gratitude.
   
   "And her service was always motivated by a perspective of gratitude," he continues. "She was grateful that her husband had a chance to coach and to have an impact on all those young men. Because of her service and her involvement in the community, she was selected as an outstanding citizen in the city of Berea long before my dad was."
   
   Each day will bring additional challenges, which may lead someone to tackle new avenues and goals. "(I)f a player says, 'I really want to excel at football, but I feel that medicine is my life's calling,' we help that player map out a plan to make it to medical school. It might be medical school, law school, or some other career path, but we want to help every player achieve his goals," writes Tressel.
   
   "Executing a plan to reach our full potential takes a lot of preparation. We must first uncover all the hidden things that can help or hinder our putting that plan into action. Excellent preparation takes tremendous commitment, focus, and discipline," he adds. "The willingness to do what it takes to execute that plan will yield excellence, but it doesn't just happen. Achieving excellence requires a great deal of hard work."
   
   With proceeds from the book to benefit the renovation of The Ohio State University main library, Tressel is making sure that a foundation in books will be available to every OSU student and researcher using the college's vast library system.
   
   Tressel is a successful coach who has led teams to five national titles. But the book is an inspirational guide to strive to be the best in any situation, on and off the field.



2. One Moment Changes Everything: The All-America Tragedy of Don Rogers
   I'm West Coast born and raised. Too often we fans, and sportswriters, get caught up in regionalism and bias. We may call it "loyalty", but that's a nice word for what often comes across as petty whining because our coach, team or region isn't constantly praised by the media. It's nothing terminal, that is, until we take those perceived slights personally. In the writing of my book about former Cleveland Browns' star safety, Don Rogers, I had the opportunity to gain an insight into what I will admit was a foreign people: football fans of Ohio. So it was with a slightly more enlightened perspective than, say, I would have had some years ago, that I read "The Winners Manual" by Ohio State head coach, Jim Tressel. Never mind that the proceeds from the book go to the school's already amazing library. That's just the icing on the cake. The book is a how-to manual for organization, and road map into the mind of Tressel, a man who excels in one of the toughest jobs--including being in the highest levels of politics--that a person could ever have.
   
   I believe we bend ourselves toward our goals, and it isn't any one thing that gets us there. If your looking for insight into the great Jim Tressel, this book will help. But if your looking for a guide in which to help you live a better, more organized life, The Winners Manual is a must-read, along the lines of some of John Wooden's best books, and books by the best and brightest CEOs this country has produced. Learn from, and surround yourself with winners, and success will follow.
   
   Ohio is the country's center in so many ways, but I've come to know it's football fan base as, by far, the most loyal and informed in the country. And in every sense, Tressel is the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation that insists on excellence performed under a powerful and exacting microscope. I think he succeeds admirably. And this book can both help you understand how he does it, and how you too might get the most out of your life, as well.

5 comments about Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.

1. Suze Orman hammers home that women need a will, an irrevocable trust and a durable power of attorney. This is information that she discusses in each one of her books. In some of her books, she goes more in-depth but this book, I found the information more basic, just that in this book, she targets women. She talks about how to come up with a 12-month plan to get your finances in order but I found her overly confident in her belief that her methods are going to work in EVERY situation. Unlike her other fantastic books, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke and the 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, I found most of the information in this book to be common sense financial advice. I understand, though that she needs to rehash this information because not everyone will read all of her books, however, she could have easily limited this information to a single chapter in one of her better books.



2. For women who have little or no working knowledge about how finances and investments should be ran, this book is an excellent place to start. It definietely takes the blinders off--especially since women can no longer go under their spouse's credit rating should things happen that aren't forseen. In my case it was a divorce, but this book gave me a wealth of info that I fully intend to apply.
   
   For those of you going through a separation of some sort, this is a good book to start with. She doesn't come out and mention death and/or divorce, but paints out scenarios that often leave women holding the bag and fending for themselves. There are a lot of preventative measures that can be taken also. The bottom line is that we no longer live in an age where women can rely on the spouse or significant other to provide--something has to be set aside just in case the unforseen occurs.
   
   This book is a good investment. I strongly urge women to read it.



3. This is a great book for all women about financial planning. Suze gives you great advice on how to save and how to change your bad habits to allow you to save more money. I would reccommend this book to women of all ages.



4. I love Suze's books and her show and recommend it to all my friends and co-workers.



5. After clicking through Suze Orman's TV program called Women & Money, I decided to give this book a try. Generally, these types of books do not seem to help me, but immediately as began reading this book the lightbulb went off in my head. I have to say that I am really happy that I bought this book. It is giving me some tools that I will need in the future as my business grows. (I even bought the book for a friend of mine.)

No comments about Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness.

5 comments about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

1. The premise of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is that there are 7 habits which can dramatically improve a person's professional and social life. These habits include: 1. Be proactive. 2. Begin with the end in mind. 3. Put first things first. 4. Think win/win. 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. 6. Synergize. 7. Sharpen the saw.
   
   Covey's philosophy of using honest open communication, fairness, integrity and human dignity as a baseline in all relationships is sound powerful advice. The book is well written with excellent insights and wisdom.
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking



2. Nutshell review - This is an excellent book whose lessons and insights can contribute to all aspects of your life. Excellent.



3. We had the privilege of hearing Dr. Covey in person at The University of Michigan when this book was first published. It instantly became one of the most important books we've read and used in our teaching. We give this as a graduation gift to our college students to help them to be effective as they start their new life. Covey is the master of story-telling and bringing his habits to life.
   
   Author, "Trust is Everything: Become the leader others will follow"



4. I actually purchased these cards in error, thinking that they were the book.
   
   When I received it, I was disappointed.
   
   When I read them, I was delighted!!!!
   
   They encourage great focus and act as a boosters at the start of the day - pick up a card, read the back also or just read the front in the extremely pleasant font, and make yourself more effective and generally a better person.
   
   A lot of these points made are quite obviously (although some are a lot more subtle and extremely cleverly presented) but fundamentally, it helps to make you a balanced and better person, which then obviously spills into your personal and business life.
   
   They are the closest thing you will get to a quick fix - where a book requires you to be motivated to focus to read it, these are available at all times - pick one up from your desk before a meeting, browse through one or two while on hold for a phone call - you can only benefit if these ideals and tips sink into your subconscious!



5. I agree with the other commenters who have given this book negative reviews and who appear to be more critical thinkers than the author himself.
   
   This book was clearly written on auto-pilot; it is constructed on a string of cliches and half-conceived insights and analysis. It is entirely clear the author has little to say. The book is an insult to probing, intelligent minds. A total joke!

5 comments about Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs.

1. Interruption marketing (most mass media advertising) is becoming more expensive and reaching fewer people that care. And if you compound the problem by creating a product that you are trying to sell rather than creating one that is "Tuned In" to your market, you have compounded the problem.
   
   When creating a product or service, most businesses make these common mistakes: They assume that the company insiders know more than the buyers about what the buyers want/need. They based their market research on their current customer base - thus eliminating a much larger potnetial market share of potential customers. And they try to create a need - the tell their customers what to buy rather than providing what the customers want.
   
   To be successful in today's highly competitve marketplace, you need a breakthrough product that resonates with your customers so that they immediately understand the benefit to them and are eager to buy the product. This only happens if you are totally Tuned In to the customer's wants/needs.
   
   "The Tuned In company constantly listens to, observes and understands the problems the buyers are willing to pay money to solve." for the most part, Tuned In companies ignore the competition - listening instead to the customers.
   
   Too many companies get caught up in their own egos. They think they know what the customer wants. Most innovation-driven companies listen only to themselves - they obsess about who will get credit for the next innovation or the most unique invention. And all too often the newest innovation does not solve a problem for the customer, so they simply do not care.
   
   If you are going to be successful, your product or service must resonate with your target market. And resonators are in the market - not in your head. A product or service that resonates with the market will sell itself. You do not need to push the product. Customers will seek out your product or service.
   
   One of the most powerful (but probably difficult concepts to come to grips with) statements is "Your opinion, although interesting, is irrelevant." The only thing that matters is the buyer's opinion.
   
   There are six steps to becoming a Tuned In company.
   
   Step one - Find unresolved problems.
   
   Step two - Understand the buyer persona. Who is the buyer, what are their problems, what moves them to take action.
   
   Step three - Quantify the impact. You must determine that the problem you are solving is urgent, pervasive and the buyer is willing to spend money to solve the problem.
   
   Step four - Create a breakthrough experience - the most successful companies understand that the customer buys a total experience - one that resonates.
   
   Step five - Articulate a powerful idea. Your message must focus on the problem it is solving and must be immediately understood by the buyer.
   
   Step six - Establish authentic Connections - you must understand and focus on the buyer. The buyer must feel like you really understand and care about them and their problems.
   
   It is no longer possible to push product by using mass advertising. Buyers are more concerned about their problems and getting them solved. They no longer wait for a solution to come to them. They are actively looking for solutions to their problems. If you are going to be successful, you must understand their problems and be Tuned In to the buyer.
   
   The book is well written and give plenty of examples of Tuned In companies such as: Zipcar, iPod, National Community Church and the new Dutch Boy paint containers.
   
   It is very important to understand that to be successful today that you must take a different approach than has worked in the past. Buyers have many more choices. Markets are fragmented. And interruption marketing no longer has the impact it once did. You cannot focus on your product. You must focus on the problems your product solves for the buyer.
   
   It is easy to believe that being Tuned In does not apply to your business. It is also very easy to fail. This is a very important concept and a very easy to understand gateway to what it takes to market successfully in a world that changed the way buyers respond.
   
   You don't have to get Tuned In, but if you don't the chances are very high you will be tuned out by your cusomters.



2. Tuned In. Uncover the extraordinary opportunities that lead to business breakthroughs. Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott. 2008. ISBN9780470260364. I am a David Meerman Scott fan and this book does not disappoint. The book does a very good job pointing out ways to discover your key value proposition, how to clearly articulate it as well as how to get to the present non consumers of your product. A good book for todays marketing challenges with exceptional application to differentiation and finding high value segmentation.
   Read about resonators such as :
   * clubhub
   * RIM
   * BillMeLAter
   * Nalgene
   * TheatreChurch.com
   * Boeing's Dreamliner
   * ZipCar
   * GoPro
   * IPod
   * Cold Stone Creamery
   * Cincom
   * Hubspot



3. I read this book at just the right time - I was in the crucial "needing to test my product on real people" (but not really wanting to) phase, and this book made me buckle down and focus on how important it was to talk with, poll, and listen to your potential customers. i.e. being "tuned in."
   
   The process outlined in the book is somewhat simple, and is likely stuff we've all heard before, but it's presented in a way that makes you realize exactly how important it is to really tune into your customer base - whether you have a company, are a musician, pastor, leader, or just want to market yourself better!



4. Remove the examples from the book, and you have for the most part a collection of already known high level concepts without much depth. Granted, marketing does not have to be complicated and it should not be, but creating innovative products requires more than concepts. For example, the first step in the authors' Tuned-in "process" is "Find unresolved problems". OK, good point, but I knew that and you probably did know that too! How do I do it? The authors's advice: "ask the customers"! But I knew that too. Tell me more. "Ask your non-customers". Wow,I would never have thought of that. Tell me more. "Go to trade shows" say the authors. I knew that too. Tell me more. "Ask open questions", "Keep an open mind", etc. say the authors. At the end of this chapter and of most chapters, I fell frustrated of not learning approaches or tips I have not heard about before and of not learning more how to do it.
   
   At the end of Chapter 4, I was going to drop the book, but the examples kept me going. There are at least 50 examples of Tuned-in companies from Disneyland to the Maganavox remote control that locates itself to the ubiquitous iPod. These examples are interesting by themselves. They are spread through the book to illustrate each step and to validate the entire tuned-in "process".
   
   I keep putting process in between quotes because what the authors present is not really a process. It is more a framework. In addition, it seems that not one of the examples was actually the result of applying the authors' framework under their guidance. So the whole edifice is an after-the-fact analysis of successful innovations that serves to justify the author's framework. I would have liked to see at least one example of a product that the authors actually helped develop.
   
   The book itself is an example of the framework the authors propose, and in particular of "Step 5: Articulate Powerful Ideas". This chapter develops the idea of establishing "memorable concepts that speak to the problems the customers have". The authors here eat their own dog food, and it is clear that they spent time thinking about how they should name that book and what memorable concepts they should articulate it in. "Tuned-in" is a sgood and simple concept that is repeated over and over throughout the book so that it sticks in your mind. There is an other one that is used over and over; it is "resonators" to designate successful products that resonate with customers.
   
   In summary, the value of this book is probably in this Chapter 5. At least it is for me. We typically underestimate that the least number of words a concept can be described in, the more powerful it is. "Tuned in" is a useful concept to keep in mind to designate that idea that we need to be "tuned in" to the market and the customer. But you will need many other books and workshops to know how to do it. But, that's what the authors' core business is: delivering seminars! No doubt that they will have demand.



5. I've been through the seminars on Practical Product Management delivered through the authors' firm (Pragmatic Marketing). As a CTO it was an eye-opener to see an approach to Product Management that meshed with the concepts of Agile Development in the software field. The two disciplines work well together to create software products that resonate with customers.
   
   This book is not so much breaking new ground, but distilling years of learning into a simple introductory form for folks who might be interested in moving from an inside-out/command-and-control view of the market. It makes a strong empirical business case for doing things differently.
   
   Highly recommended if you're starting a business, launching a new business unit or product line, or simple want to spark growth in existing efforts. You might even learn which existing efforts are not tuned-in and pull back on their funding so you can invest in products and services that the market wants.

5 comments about The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.

1. This book is yet another motivational 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' ploy, only this time being applied to on-line products. Mr. Ferris strongly advocates outsourcing work overseas. Great! More potential USA work lost to third world countries. And the pay rate for that overseas work really isn't that much different than it is here (has Mr. Ferris checked the current US minimum wage?). And his web-site? Just a big advertisement to buy his book. Just what the US needs, more Wal-Mart capitalism.



2. This is an excellent book which includes many, many details and suggested exercises. My suggestion is to read the book all the way through once, then start working on the exercises, slowly, otherwise it can be a bit too much to really get a handle on. Awesome, so worth the money spent to purchase it.



3. Well-written and actionable, the "Four Hour Workweek" book delivers a step by step process combining a variety of techniques designed to help people make outstanding use of their time.
   
   For fellow 'serial entrepreneurs' like myself, the outsourcing and 'boundary management' tips were particularly useful, including must-read tips for avoiding outsourcing pitfalls (eg time caps on projects and how to select assistants), plus more.
   
   His model is a sound one, on page 185, for developing an info-business plan; though there's much more to it than is covered, it's a great overview and outline of key productivity concepts. I found it impressive that the author was able to articulate many effective productivity-boosting strategies so clearly.
   
   For more, be sure to study Brian Tracy and Dan Kennedy as well. I recommend Brian's "Eat That Frog", and Dan's "No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs" books (along with all their other products, which are essential for success).
   
   Overall, highly recommended; it got me thinking about outsourcing more effectively, plus other actionable ideas, so that alone is well worth reading this for.
   
   -Ken Calhoun



4. That pretty much sums up what this book should have been called. I just can't fathom how so many people have been duped into drinking the kool-aid that young Mr Ferriss expounds so carelessy in his book.
   
   For those of you looking for the 'Cliff Note' version, I'll summarize in 3 points what this book is basically about:
   
   1 - Look for ways to generate passive income (ie, make $$ with little or no work). In Mr. Ferriss' case, it's selling vitamin supplements online...yeah you heard it right.
   
   2 - Make it your life's goal to become a slacker by outsourcing everyday tasks(eg, checking email, paying bills, online shopping, etc). Yes, everyone is as busy and important as Mr Ferris that they need to manage a team of personal assistants in India to check their email, pay bills and shopping online.
   
   3 - Once you become a slacker, look for activities that will give you meaning in life. Young Mr. Ferris has some real gems of wisdom for you ;-)
   
   The 4-Hour Work Week is complete utter waste of time and not worth the paper it's printed on. Check out at the library if you must waste 2-3 hours of your life skimming through the drivel.



5. Interesting, but I think many of the concepts are difficult to apply in corporate America.